7:36 PM,
Mar. 5, 2013

Area readers are doggone crazy about their dogs, clockwise top left, Gert, Tippy, Angie, Kiera, Sophie and LillyAnn.

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When my "once in a lifetime" dog entered my life, I was attending college and planning a wedding. A dog certainly wasn't on my "to-do" list at the time.

Cold and shivering, this female border collie/shepherd mix had been mercilessly dropped off on our doorstep in the dead of winter. Luckily for the dog, my husband-to-be had a tender heart and sheltered her at the farm until we were wed.

From that day forward, Annie was our constant companion and the eventual protector of our children. For 13 years, we were blessed with her presence in our lives and with the many lessons she imparted to our growing ...